Why Twin Restoration

When I started this Blog, I was at the very begining of a monumental journey. I had reached the realisaion that the immense pressure of hiding my true Gender from the world, was simply too much to bear. With the support of my family, and a dedicated team of medical professionals I commenced what I saw, as a restorative process.

At around the same time, I purchased an elderly, but mostly operational motorcycle. The bike is a 1956 Pre Unit Triumph. Much like myself this British made machine, was badly in need of some restoration too….

The Challenge – The Triumph

Introducing Penelope……..

Penelope is a 1956 Triumph 6T Thunderbird. Unfortunately Penelope is what is known in the trade as a “Bitsa” Her frame is a 1962 Duplex type and therefore not matched to the Pre Unit 1956 motor. The rest of the components on the bike seemed to have been picked at random from the Triumph Timeline, standout items are the rear mudguard, which is likely from an old Police bike, and the saddle, which I think has to be one of the ugliest items ever fitted to a motorcycle.

My plan is to restore Penelope to something resembling a motorcycle that would actually have trundled off the assembly line 60 or so years ago.

Why Penelope ? All of my motorcycles have names, this particular bike is a Thunderbird. Lady Penelope was an obvious choice, and if you can’t make the connection, maybe have a quick google of “Thunderbirds.”

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The Challenge – Myself

Introducting Suzanne……..

Much like the Triumph I appear to have been constructed out of more than one parts bin. Whilst my chassis was decidedly Male, many of my other components in the build were definitely destined for the Female model.

The result was a whole me, that suffered from one or two glitches since delivery. Early indications of this mismatch were not well received by the new owners who made the running in period somewhat uncomfortable. If the truth be known they also had a go at cancelling the order, but I arrived anyway. The new owners chose to alternate between occasional polishing and frequent violent attempts at getting the parts to fit right, which they never did.

After 48 years and in conjunction with a loving partner, the decision to redesign the 1967 Hybrid was taken. The hopeful outcome is a harmonious whole, balancing the inner Female with running gear to match along with a new lick of paint. All of this will take place alongside a serious attempt to make the whole package much lighter, more agile and better placed to go the distance.

It made perfect sense to my rather strange brain, to run the restoration in parallel…..